Half-baked victory: Coach criticizes Bulldogs’ conquest of Red Warriors

National University (NU) secured a Final Four seat in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 men’s basketball tournament.

However, head coach Jeff Napa felt the Bulldogs’ 91-74 win over also-ran University of the East (UE) was a rout they barely deserved after how his players performed on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Napa did not mince words as he expressed his disappointment despite NU stitching a third straight win for a 9-3 win-loss record in solo second.

“No. 1, congratulations to UE. We don’t deserve this kind of win because we played terribly in the first three quarters. Hats off to UE. We don’t deserve this win. Coming into the crucial stretch of the elimination going into the Final Four, we can’t play the way we did in this game,” Napa said.

The Bulldogs struggled to shake off the pesky Red Warriors in the first three quarters and entered the final period with a slim 68-66 advantage.

Lefties Tebol Garcia and Reinhard Jumamoy spared NU from UE’s upset axe after igniting a decisive 16-0 run that transformed a slim 73-70 advantage into an insurmountable 89-70 cushion with just 1:51 remaining.

The Bulldogs duo combined for 15 points in the blitz, with Jumamoy knocking down all three of his three-pointers in the stretch, to finally put the gritty Red Warriors away.

Still, Napa was far from satisfied with the win against a UE side just playing for pride.

“If you ask me, I’m not happy with where we are heading, coming into the end of eliminations and going into the playoffs. Of course, a win is a win, but this should be a wake-up call for us. If we want to achieve something and prove something, we have to show respect to our opponents.”

Garcia led the way with an efficient 20-point outing, converting nine of his 10 field-goal attempts while also dishing out seven assists.

PJ Palacielo added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, alongside three assists and three steals, while Jumamoy finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Malian big man Mo Diassana also delivered nine points, seven rebounds and four blocks, while rookie Chad Cartel contributed eight points and two steals.

NU hopes to sustain its momentum for its tough last two games against Far Eastern University (FEU) on 22 November before closing out its elimination round campaign with a rematch with first round victim, Final Four-bound University of the Philippines (UP) on 28 November.

UE suffered a second straight defeat for a woeful 1-12 slate.

Toper Lagat once again paced the Red Warriors with 21 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal. He also accounted for six of UE’s only eight points in the fourth quarter.

Drew Jimenez had 13 points, while Mo Tañedo chipped in 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals for the Red Warriors.

Meanwhile, FEU foiled UP attempt to secure a Final Four twice-to-beat advantage in a 71-68 nailbiter to complete an elimination round head-to-head sweep over the Fighting Maroons.

Jorick Bautista nailed a clutch stepback three-pointer with 40.6 seconds left to give the Tamaraws a four-point lead, 70-66.

Former FEU player Veejay Pre pushed UP to within two with two free throws with 19 seconds left and the Fighting Maroons had a chance to tie it after Kirby Mongcopa missed both his charities in the Tamaraws’ possession. Pre was fouled in an outlet pass scramble but was slow to get up, forcing a mandatory substitution for Chicco Briones, who bricked both foul shots under tremendous pressure.

FEU rookie Marc Burgos split his charities as the Tamaraws improved to a 7-5 record at solo third spot while snapping the semis-bound Fighting Maroons’ seven-game winning streak.

Reigning Most Valuable Player Janrey Pasaol scored 16 points, Bautista had 14 while Mongcopa and Burgos had 13 and 11 markers, respectively, for FEU.

The loss left UP tied with NU at 9-3 atop the standings. Noy Remogat scored 10 points with six assists and six rebounds while center Dikachi Ududo got 19 markers and 10 rebounds.